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On May 15, 2024, Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes announced two lawsuits against Amazon—not one case combining a single set of claims. One alleges that Amazon made cancelling Prime confusing and difficult; the other challenges Amazon’s Buy Box practices and alleged restrictions on sellers’ prices elsewhere. Both sets of claims remain allegations, not findings of liability.
At a glance: two complaints, two different theories
| Complaint | Main issue Arizona alleges | Primary theory | Groups the state says may be affected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prime cancellation | A confusing, manipulative process discouraged members from cancelling. | Unfair or deceptive practices under Arizona’s Consumer Fraud Act. | Prime subscribers. |
| Buy Box and price parity | Marketplace ranking and seller terms allegedly favored Amazon’s interests and limited price competition. | Consumer-protection and antitrust claims. | Consumers and third-party sellers. |
The State of Arizona, acting through Attorney General Mayes, filed the complaints in Maricopa County Superior Court. The announcement described the alleged conduct as unfair, deceptive and anticompetitive; those characterizations are the state’s claims, not a court’s conclusions. Arizona Attorney General’s announcement
What Arizona alleges about Prime cancellation
The Prime complaint says Amazon used interface choices that steered members away from cancelling after they had indicated an intention to end their membership. Arizona describes allegedly confusing wording, skewed presentation of choices, repeated prompts and emphasis on benefits a member would lose. The state says the design frustrated cancellation attempts and left some consumers enrolled or otherwise harmed by the process. Prime cancellation complaint
What “dark patterns” means here
Dark patterns are interface designs that steer, pressure or confuse people into choices they might not otherwise make. The term does not make every cumbersome cancellation process illegal. The legal question is whether Arizona can prove the alleged design was unfair or deceptive under the applicable law, along with the required connection to consumer harm.
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Project Iliad and the 14% figure
Arizona’s announcement calls the alleged cancellation strategy “Project Iliad.” The state says internal documents indicated it reduced Prime cancellations by 14%. That is the Attorney General’s description of what the documents allegedly showed—not a court finding, a figure established for all Prime subscribers, or an independent measure of harm to Arizona consumers. Arizona Attorney General’s announcement
What Arizona alleges about the Buy Box and seller rules
The second complaint concerns Amazon’s marketplace. The Buy Box is the prominent offer displayed alongside Amazon’s “Buy Now” or “Add to Cart” buttons. Several merchants may offer the same item, but the offer shown in that prominent position can shape which seller gets the customer’s attention and sale.
Arizona alleges Amazon represented the Buy Box as selecting the offer most attractive to customers while favoring offers that benefited Amazon financially, including Amazon’s own retail offers and offers from sellers using Fulfillment by Amazon. The state’s theory turns on Amazon’s alleged incentives as both marketplace operator and participant in retail and seller services; it does not establish that every FBA offer wins the Buy Box or that every non-FBA offer is better. Buy Box and price-parity complaint
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Why Fulfillment by Amazon matters
Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) is a service through which Amazon stores, packs, labels and delivers sellers’ products. Arizona alleges that Buy Box rules favored FBA sellers, including when a non-FBA seller allegedly offered a better or cheaper option, and that sellers paid additional fees for fulfillment-related services. The state characterizes the alleged link between marketplace visibility and use of these services as a way of favoring Amazon’s interests. Whether the ranking system operated as alleged, and whether that amounted to unlawful exclusion, are disputed questions for the case.
What the alleged price-parity provisions would do
Arizona also challenges provisions in Amazon’s Business Services Agreement that it says restricted sellers from offering lower prices on other websites. In practical terms, the state alleges that sellers could not freely undercut their Amazon prices elsewhere without risking consequences under the marketplace terms. Arizona argues that such restrictions weakened competition among sales channels and could contribute to higher prices. The complaints do not establish that every product was more expensive on Amazon or that every outside offer was cheaper. Buy Box and price-parity complaint
Who Arizona says could be affected
Consumers
- Prime members who allegedly remained enrolled after trying to cancel and continued paying for a membership they intended to end.
- Shoppers who, under the state’s Buy Box theory, may have been shown an offer that did not represent the best available price or service.
- Customers who could face higher prices if sellers’ ability to compete across websites was restricted.
Third-party sellers
- Merchants who Arizona says could lose visibility by not using FBA or pay fees to remain competitive.
- Sellers allegedly constrained from offering lower prices on other websites.
- Merchants who, according to the state’s theory, risked penalties or reduced Prime eligibility or Buy Box access if they violated price-related terms.
These are alleged pathways to harm, not established damages or proof that every seller or consumer experienced them.
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What Arizona would have to establish
The complaints invoke the Arizona Consumer Fraud Act and the Arizona Uniform State Antitrust Act. The former is the state’s basis for challenging allegedly unfair or deceptive practices; the latter supports claims about monopolization or restraints on competition. Arizona law authorizes the Attorney General to seek remedies such as injunctions, restitution, disgorgement and civil penalties, as well as costs and attorneys’ fees. A request for relief is not an award. Arizona Attorney General consumer complaint information
For the antitrust theory, being large or successful is not itself unlawful. The state would need to establish the legally relevant market and Amazon’s power in it, show the challenged conduct meets the legal test for exclusion or restraint, and connect that conduct to harm to competition—not simply harm to a particular competitor. The alleged Buy Box incentives and price restrictions would have to be evaluated against evidence about how the system and agreements worked and their effects on sellers and consumers.
For the Prime claim, the central questions include what members saw and experienced, whether the design was materially misleading or unfair under the statute, and whether Arizona can establish the required consumer harm. The complaints present Arizona’s account; they do not resolve those questions.
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What Amazon could argue—and what is not established
The legal issues suggest possible disputes, but without a current Amazon pleading or statement these should not be presented as Amazon’s confirmed defenses. Amazon could argue that its cancellation flow offered a clear way to leave Prime; that the Buy Box optimizes for overall customer experience rather than price alone; or that FBA can improve delivery and service. It could also argue that price-related terms protect customer trust or that Arizona has not shown legally cognizable antitrust harm. Whether any of those positions has been made in court, and how the state responds, requires consulting current filings.
The available case information does not establish whether either Arizona suit has been dismissed, settled, tried or finally resolved, nor whether consumers will receive compensation. It also does not establish a damages or penalty total. The requested injunctions and monetary or equitable relief remain requests unless granted by a court. Prime cancellation complaint
How the Arizona suits differ from the FTC cases
These are Arizona state cases, separate from federal litigation brought by the Federal Trade Commission. In September 2023, the FTC and states filed a federal antitrust case alleging Amazon illegally maintained monopoly power through strategies affecting sellers, prices and competition. The FTC also brought a separate case over alleged deceptive Prime enrollment and cancellation practices. The subjects overlap with Arizona’s allegations, but the plaintiffs, claims, venues and procedural histories are different. FTC Amazon e-commerce case · FTC Prime case
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What consumers and sellers should know
A lawsuit does not itself create a refund program, entitle consumers to compensation or require Amazon to change its practices. People with complaints can contact the Arizona Attorney General, but the office says it does not represent individual consumers or guarantee a particular outcome. Arizona Attorney General consumer complaint information
Sellers who believe the alleged practices affected them may find it useful to retain relevant marketplace agreements, fee records, Buy Box data and communications. That is a recordkeeping step, not a claim that the court has found a violation.
Case identification and status
Arizona announced the complaints on May 15, 2024. The Prime case is identified in a public case listing as Maricopa County Superior Court case CV2024-011990; that identifier does not establish the case’s current status. A public docket or current court filing is needed to confirm any later procedural developments. Public listing for the Arizona Prime case
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